Description: World Revolution! It's a fight for the honor of England... or is it? Will London's rainy weather deter any of these fighters as they battle outside of the Radcliffe Camera? (Winners: Eva and Sada)
Radcliffe Camera
Oxford, England.
Designed in the English Baroque style, it originally housed the Radcliffe Science Library. Now it is home to about 600,000 books that reside in rooms beneath the Radcliffe Square and visited by any who need books from the undergraduate reading list.
But! For one night only, the grounds around the circular building are playing host to the Saturday Night Fight!
A typical Oxford weather forecast for the area on this close-to-summer day states 'scattered clouds with sunny periods and possible heavy showers at times'. As the day moves on to dusk, and lights around the Radcliffe Camera burst to life, it would seem for once that the weather forecaster was not wrong. A heavy downpour dampens the area, making visibility poor. Grass within the cordoned off 'ring' area is extremely damp and slippery, making the ground extremely treacherous for those scheduled to be here this evening.
A large crowd of British fans (both of the fighting circuit and not) are gathered around Radcliffe Camera and are spilling out into the square. Tourists from other locales also make up a good portion of the fanbase present this evening and more than one is calling out the name of their favorite fighter. Camera crews are having to move in closer to the ring so that the images they capture aren't hindered by the heavy rains and several of the cameras are sporting hoods to keep the lenses clear.
"... Match 2; they're calling this one 'For Queen and Country'. Looks like tonight we'll be seeing the return of Preston Alistair Wellington the second, and everyone's favorite up and coming punk rock princess, Arika Fade. These two will be defending..."
A low rumble begins in the distance, cutting off much of what is said by the announcer at that point, but a few minutes later he continues. "Their opponents for the evening are Eva Manzetti and Sada Asai..."
Cameras pan to the area where the punk rock princess is to appear, but it would seem she's nowhere to be found. Therefore, it's no surprise that the cameras turn to focus upon the Italian-American as they wait for the fight to start.
Somewhere, in the USA, a burly man and a slight-figured woman sit on a couch. Rather, The woman is sitting on the couch, hand held to her face as she fights back tears of nervousness and tear, and... the man is pacing between sitting on the couch, standing up, or leaning in to the TV set. Sometimes, he shouts. Sometimes, the woman chides him for blocking the TV. Both are goddy with nervous energy, as their child steps into the ring.
Well, kind of. It's not really that sort of stage.
Well, shoot. Eva was hoping it wouldn't rain during the match, but at least she came prepared. Her white cotton blouse is beginning to cling to her body as she walks into the ring, revealing a white sleeve-less shirt underneath. She's very uptight about such things; having her first televised fight showing the usual effects of wearing nothing but a bra and a white blouse would make for great ratings, but would plague her with unending embarrassment. One wonders why she doesn't simply cover herself with the coat around her waist, but everyone'll soon realize why she's dressed the way she is.
Placing the sleeveless gloves on her hands and closing her eyes, she assumes her stance.... only to realize that only Preston is there. She freezes, her eyebrows furrowed. "... Where's your partner? It'd be bad if it's two against one." Great Britain, defend thyself from a.... person who's too concerned that the fight'll be uneven. "Maybe we should wait a bit?"
COMBATSYS: Eva has started a fight here.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
Did they just... did they just announce his full name? Hiding a red face to the best of his abilities, there's a rather sizeable lad standing off to one side of the cordoned off area. With a massive oar slanted across his rather broad shoulders. There can really be only one Preston Alistair Wellington the II, but thanks to the downpour there's really little to be seen of him besides his bulk. And the umbrella he otherwise holds overhead. He's got a brain amidst all that muscle.
His embarrassment concerning the announcing of his name aside, it seems he's shortly greeted by one of his opponents. A set of clear hazel eyes descend down on Eva -- and then descend a little further. Elevator eyes quickly return to her face, before he looks away. "She'll be here shortly, no doubt," he informs her, raising his voice over the downpour and the cheers of the crowd. They know what's coming; a damn rock star. What a partner for him to have.
Shifting the oar across his shoulder, he throws the umbrella across towards Eva for her to catch, otherwise preparing himself for the upcoming battle. The oar is lifted, and he takes several swings with it to limber up. "Any minute now," he mumbles, mostly to himself, casting a glance towards the closest watch he can find; on his wrist. Clad in his coat still, he'll shed that shortly -- when the festivities truly get underway! And he's sure they're about to...
COMBATSYS: Preston has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
Sada Asai likes the current situation for several reasons.
For one, the Seijyun athletics uniform is in fact designed with the expectation that people will attempt to ogle the schoolgirls. The dark shorts and dark gray shirt give no particular view beyond highlighting Sada's figure as she approaches the ring, twirling the kama end of her kusarigama on its chain, idly.
For another, she's wearing fairly durable sneakers, and she's pretty sure she won't slip too easily. Other people are a different story, especially if they are thrown. Finally, of course, is simple national pride: England's difficulty has always been Ireland's opportunity, and now, perhaps, it will be Japan's.
The rain has flattened out her hairstyle, however, which is annoying. She comes up near Eva, stepping easily into the ring and nodding once to the much taller young woman. She then looks over to Preston, before giving him a big wide grin that is either very friendly or mildly shark-like. "Ahhh, like Musashi!" she calls towards the Englishman, pointing towards his oar with her kama. "Very good!" She doesn't have much of an accent when she speaks English, at least.
COMBATSYS: Sada has joined the fight here.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
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Sada 0/-------/-------|
And yet the diva has yet to appear.
Several long moments pass beyond the exchange of Eva and Preston before a bright yellow taxi zips into the Radcliffe Square and a figure wearing a long black slicker steps out. The black umbrella she carries easily hides who she is for all of a minute before a gust of wind blows it upward, and just like Mary Poppins the umbrella is gone.
With a slight groan, Arika Fade begins to make her way through the fans stopping a few times to sign quick autographs for the females, or blow a quick kiss to the males. But as she approaches the 'ring' the slides off the slicker and tosses it to the nearest cameraman.
"Sorry I'm late," she offers to Preston as she slides her hands down over her Union Jack Flag minidress. Raising her leg slightly she brushes some mud off of her tall white go-go boots and winks at him. "'ad a few things to deal with back in Southtown before 'oppin' on the plane." As the bruises on her cheeks will attest to, it was likely a fight of some sort. "And I figured since we're 'ere to be defendin' merry old England, I might as well be dressin' the part."
With a nod toward the two female opponents she stretches slightly and then waits for the fight to begin. As always, she says, "Let's do this!"
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
Though he'd taken a break from Saturday Night Fight for a week... maybe more... when he read the listings he couldn't help but hop on a plane for this one. After all, this is for the pride of England! So he made sure to get a good seat--at the English side, of course. He shan't let his presence disturb the fight, however... so he'll simply sit, and drink tea, and eat cookies, while his faithful butler James shields him from the rain, with an umbrella. And yes, he is wearing the boxing gloves.
Nothing to show there. While Eva didn't bring an umbella, she at least isn't giving a free show. No, whatever she did, it's holding up to the rain. She just looks like a wet girl, not a discreet pin-up.
... Well, it's not like Eva'd be able to hold an umbrella while fighting, anyway. She was too busy oogling books in the library anyway. Still, a visible blush comes on Eva's face as Preston's eyes travel down. "... I got carried away in the library," she mumbles as an excuse. Deftly catching the umbrella, she nods gratefully, holding it over her head, rain dripping off her curly hair. "... Thank you, sir."
Looking over at the short young woman as she enters and nodding, Eva says, "I guess you'll be my partner... Miss Asai, correct? I look forward to fighting with you." At least she's being honest with those words, which could so easily be laced with contempt in the hands of the wrong person. Turning to see the diva arrive, complete with a Union Jack minidress and gogo boots, Eva blinks, mumbling, "... will she be able to fight in that? Looks uncomfortable..."
At least the Brit with the Oar doesn't spend a lot of time staring at Eva's state of dress. After issuing her the umbrella, he shortly has other matters to attend to.
As the other combatants appear and each have something for him, Preston reacts; the Asian gets a squint and little more. He has no idea what she's talking about, being unfamiliar with what the hell she's talking about, so instead he just gives her a curt nod.
And then the circus is in town. His partner for the fight makes her rather dramatic entrance, and as she filters through the crowd to the hubbub and cheer, signing and blowing kisses, he issues a heavy sigh.
That's before he sees what she's wearing. That's when he shakes his head, acute embarrassment for his country rolling off of him. "At least you arrived," he informs her over the downpour, before shedding his coat. Thankfully, he isn't wearing a Union Jack shirt beneath. But in short order, he removes the button-up t-shirt he's wearing, and that's when the cameras might just want to center in on him; he's beyond ripped, and already drenched since offering up his umbrella to the opposition. A gracious gentleman, indeed.
Rearing up to his full height, he steps into the ring, brandishing the oar in front of him like a staff; his style becomes clear. He is going to whomp some people with his oar. Big time. "Yes, let's get this started," he agrees with his partner, giving her a nod before his gaze drifts off towards the fight announcer. He waits for the call.
And once it's signalled, he's off like the giant muscled wall that he is, lumbering across the sodden grass -- and initially slipping, at which point he moves more carefully, and therefore more slowly -- to bring the oar to bear against the girl in the white blouse. Sadly, Eva is due to get more than just his umbrella; the oar comes crashing towards her, slicing through the rain in an attempt to simply strike her in the side.
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Eva with Medium Strike.
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Eva 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
Sada grins at Arika as she steps in. It has that same extremely wide cast as her expression towards Preston.
When Eva speaks, she says to her in a quieter tone, "I hope not. Don't underestimate her, she's got energy bombs. She's also very fast. I don't know about the other one -"
The match begins, and Preston steps forwards. Oho, she thinks, /just like/ Musashi. She starts grinning again, before her head turns to look over towards Arika. "So," she says, stepping towards her, head tilted slightly forwards and letting a lock of soaked ringlet hang over her left eye, "it seems that we meet again, here, and in your homeland too! And so it shall be... you... me..."
As she walks into a position more or less orthogonal to the charging Englishman, she suddenly twists the kusari around - twirling the chain out with a lot of spin and not a great deal of force to try and wrap around one of Preston's rippling, well-toned legs and (hopefully) yank it out from beneath him!
"And him," she concludes, a finger tapping at the wet handle of the kama.
Oh please! It's not like Arika and Preston are defending England in a -war-. Like any other Saturday Night Fight, while the fight is serious, the premise is actually a bit of a lark or a farce. Otherwise fighters would -not- be fighting in the back rooms of meat bun bakeries or amusement park haunted houses!
As for whether the diva can -fight- in the outfit she's chosen to wear today, she's about to show Eva exactly -what- can be done in a mini-dress like this. As she twists about to head in the direction of her chosen foe though, Preston is already heading toward her with the oar. A quick decision needs to be made and it's one she -hates- to do. While she knows Sada likely carries a grudge for what happened in their last match, she decides to offer her partner a wee bit of assistance.
Waiting for the oar to slice through the rain to attack Eva's side, Arika lunges toward the girl with a swift right-handed jab toward her cheek. This is followed through with a palmheel strike just above the girl's chest. Calculating it carefully, the hand becomes imbued with a bright violet energy just before what Arika figures the point of impact might be.
COMBATSYS: Eva fails to interrupt Diva Allegro from Arika with Cerulean Sweep.
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Eva 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
Of course it's not serious! ...... else the US'd probably send someone with the techniques and power of someone like Guile, not a fresh face from Chicago who's bending over backwards to make sure everything's fair. Besides, if the US wins.... well, Brittania'll have to endure one more Ugly American oogling the art galleries.
That's what Eva'll do tomorrow, whether she wins or loses. But that's beyond the point. Throwing the umbrella away to the side as the signal is throw, a stiff wind picks the thing back up, causing Eva's dodge to be more focused on the black thing wafting to the sider-
-and not right on Preston's oar. *WHAM* The impact is enough to make it hard to think for a few moments, and resisting Arika's attack is next to impossible. While Eva *does* attempt to gain enough balance to react to Arika's incoming attack, the aftershock of the blunt object hitting her side makes her unable to slip down to perform her reacting move to the rock star's swift combo. The result of the two attacks pushes her backwards onto the pavement, gritting her teeth.
Somewhere in Chicago, in that spilt-second, a burly man screams at the TV while a slight woman tells him to calm the hell down.
Eva then gets back up on her feet a second later, flicking the hair from her face. "My mistake." To assume an outfit someone is comfortable with would hamper them, that is. Sada'll be on her own for a bit as the girl waits for an opening; it would be unwise to rush right in when her midsection and face still smart.
COMBATSYS: Preston Toughs Out Sada's Medium Throw!
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Eva 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Preston
More intent on simply dispatching Eva, the assault from the Asian lass turns to be very well timed. Rather than attempt to avoid it on the slippery slope, he instead waits for the inevitable; the chain coils his leg, about a meaty calf, and in short order he's dragged -- but not before he succeeds in striking the other opponent, sending her for a minor loop.
On the sodden grass, Preston finds his footing taken out from under him -- the coiled leg, at least. He sinks to one knee as he's pulled towards Sada -- but then he finds his footing, and rises back to his feet with a surge and a slide, thanks to the grass underfoot!
"Well, this is off to a festive start," he declares, more or less standing in the middle of the ring with fighters to all sides, giving his leg a little shake as he assumes a mostly defensive stance. The oar whirls in front of him, twirled in a lazy twist as he considers his next action. A glance is given to his partner in crime -- and again, he feels a pang of embarrassment, even if this is meant to be somewhat farcical.
"Since you're so eager for a bit of it too, luv, let me oblige," he informs Sada -- who he knows precisely dick about. Opting to test the waters, he gives her weapon a glance before launching into an assault. His oar whistles through the air towards her, the full range of the weapon utilized -- but seemingly not enough! In the wake of the broad blade though, the air ripples, slicing fat droplets of rain apart as a burst of chi threatens to tear into her body!
COMBATSYS: Sada dodges Preston's White Horses.
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Eva 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Preston
Sada is at least sort of aware that a lot of warriors tend not to be slow just because they're big. Larger targets, certainly, but it's stupid to think that muscle's going to get in the way of fast motion -- what causes fast motion, anyway? Fairy dust?
She beams up at him as he raises up his mighty oar, bracing herself, it seems, for impact - she's raised the kama up in front of her, as if she expects to parry that burst of light and water with simple steel.
At the last moment she shoves herself forwards, ducking low as the powerful strike burns down to, perhaps, discharge itself in England's green and pleasant land. Sada hydroplanes forwards along the slick grass, twisting herself around as she commences spinning the kusari at her side, twisting it around as she puts a good two meters between herself and Preston -- this time, she's aiming to strike his legs rather than pull them out from beneath him.
"They said Musashi was able to kill someone with one strike with an oar," she says while doing this, her deep voice lifting to make sure she can be heard over the clash of warriors and the rasp of the rain. "Was that your one-hit sure-kill technique?"
If Arika is being deemed an embarrassment by a male, it wouldn't be the first time. Her prim, proper and uptight father felt much the same way, which is really what's caused her to be the way she is now.
Unlike Eva's parents, however, she doubts her father could be bothered to watch her fight.
From the corner of her eye, she watches the goings on between Preston and Sada, but this time she leaves her partner on his own. Looks like he can handle himself anyhow and she really wants to try and stay away from that oar in case it accidentally gets sent in her direction.
"Mistake?" Hmm. Clothing can be rather deceiving at times, especially when some consider the oddest things to be comfortable. As though to reiterate how comfortable she's finding the clothing to be, the punk rock princess springs right toward Eva again. A careful pirouette is made, bringing her around in a precise three-hundred-and-sixty degree circle on the slippery grass. Something can be said for go-go boots with grips. Her right knee comes up nearly vertically, then she twists to the side and sends a snappy roundhouse toward Eva's ribcage.
While it may seem to be 'mean', that's not the case at all. Arika has already seen Sada fight, and so knows what she should be expecting. Eva is a wildcard to her.
COMBATSYS: Eva blocks Arika's Rhythmic Roundhouse.
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Preston
Despite Eva's attention to her own mannerisms and how she appears to people at all times, this does not extend to people like Arika. It couldn't have, when her brother was the exact opposite of her. As long as Arika does her best, Eva won't think anything of the girl's attire.
When your twin thought nothing about hanging the wash on the line on a rooftop dressed in a pair of flip-flops and long boxers (until your mother yelled at him to get inside), things like that really don't phase you. "I was wondering if your clothing would be comfortable enough to fight in." *thud* The roundhouse is met by Eva's arms, which are held up in a boxer's blocking stance, arms and fists held vertical. "That was my mistake. Let us move on." Time to stage a comeback as best she can. These opponents are proving to be difficult.
Whipping her coat from off her waist, Eva attempts to hook it around Arika's head, following through with a sharp tug towards her. If the first part of the attack follows through, the mod girl will feel the blazer be tugged off her head right when a roundhouse kick connects with her abdomen.
COMBATSYS: Preston fails to interrupt Odani Foundation Art from Sada with Queen's Regulations.
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Preston
It seems that Preston's mighty discharge cuts little but grass, as the speedy Sada makes use of her miniature size to evade the strike. It causes the slightest of scowls to his face -- particular as he notes the way she beams up at him, as that oar sliced towards her moments prior.
Whatever embarrassment he may feel to be paired with his fellow, and somewhat more outlandish, Britannian, they are nevertheless a team. So even as the Asian strikes out at him with the chain and its heavy end, he dares to dart a glance to ensure that Arika is still upright and able. The last thing he wanted would be for his actual Saturday Night debut to end with him being paired with a piece of paper.
That chain though, that's another story; as she strikes out at his legs, he simply seeks to retaliate. Even as the heavy weight thuds into his legs, he brings his oar to bear. Two meters is not far enough; his oar extends to three, and he utilizes it to its full length.
Thus was his attempt, at least -- but that weight creates quite the corky in his leg. He steps forward to lash out at Sada, but finds himself sliding instead, his leg not lifting as it should. The oar goes awry from its intended path, and to stop himself from falling further he simply slams it into the ground in front of him.
Clear eyes snap up, and his scowl deepens. "Luv, I have no fuckin' idea what ya bloody well on about," he finally answers her, with regards to his supposed one-hit technique. His language could use some work, but by comparison he's being restrained -- he knows the cameras are on, and he's somewhat self-conscious of them. It's bound to make him sloppy, if he keeps taking his head out of the game to watch his tongue. "Who in the flaming fuck is Musashi?"
Sada steps quickly out of the immediate path of the oar, but it looks like the strike is going long anyway, so she doesn't sweat it too much. After the Englishman starts scowling, Sada grins even more widely; her teeth are very white. After pursing them to get some of the rainwater out of them, she makes a sweeping gesture with the kama, and speaks as if reciting.
"A swordsman from the Tokugawa era, Miyamoto Musashi is famous for his duel with Sasaki Kojiro, where he knew the enemy would use a nodachi - a big sword," she adds, with another beam, just in case Preston didn't know the word! "and endeavored to maintain the element of surprise. He carved an oar - just like yours! - into a wooden blade... when Sasaki performed his legendary Swallow Cut, Musashi struck him in the side so hard a rib jammed through his lungs! While he drowned in his own blood, Musashi leapt back into his boat to sail away on the turning of the tide."
It would appear that World War II was not entirely successful.
Sada takes a step back as she begins spinning the kusari up to speed at her side again. As it whirrs through the pouring rain, she cries out, "Thanks to Musashi, our arts fell into disrepute! All because he was able to use the environment against us! And that's why my family's school of kusarigama arts has mastered --"
She doesn't actually stop talking, instead simply hurling the kusari and the rattling, glittering chain towards the arms of the towering man, aiming to wrap or bruise or perhaps even break his arms and impair his weapon techniques.
"-- the techniques he himself used!"
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Arika with Black Hook.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Preston
Moving on they seem to do. Through the rain, Arika can spy that Eva is attempting something a little unorthodox but she's not able to get her arm out in time to stop the coat from hooking around her head. Not wanting to be stuck within it for the entire fight, her hands reach up to tug it off of her even as she's being pulled in toward the other girl.
Finally the light (what little of it there is during this rain and the coming evening) is seen once more and a foot is connecting with her abdomen. The punk rock princess grunts as she slides back along the grass and shoots a glare at Eva. Hands settle to her midsection and she presses her fingers against the area that's been hit with the foot to ensure that there's no serious damage being done.
Since she's taking a second to do this -anyhow- she glances over her shoulder at her partner, blonde tresses clinging to the side of her face. "You alright over there, luv?" Surely if he needs help he'll give her some sort of sign, right?
Well one can only hope.
As an aside, she mentions to Eva, "Nice move, mate." These things are all about learning how your opponent moves and to prepare for future fights. At least that's how Arika views them. Even so, she's already on the move again, racing back across the slippery grass with a swift uppercut coming up toward Eva's chin. Nothing special about it other than the fact that if it meets it's mark, she's already starting to spin off to the side and hopefully break a little away from Preston and Sada.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Eva with Quick Punch.
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Eva 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Preston
Who is Musashi? ..... Eva was wondering that herself, but she had assumed it was a famous street fighter she hadn't had the chance to know yet. With only a year or two underneath her belt to learn all the fighters she hadn't already learned about. Sure, there were many legendary ones she knew already, as well as a few who were her brother's and father's favorites, but that was about it.
There goes the punch, too swift for Eva to successfully dodge. It smarts, but the treads and her ability to take in pain disallow her from falling down like before. She hunches slightly, digging her feet into the wet ground from the spent momentum, then straightens.
"You do very well yourself," Eva then says, dropping off to the side as Arika does, following her but not attacking outright. She's made a lot of messy mistakes in this match, and she'll have to gather herself before pursue the good fight. While staying beside Sada would be useful in order to assist her, with the reach and the potential for friendly 'fire' from both Sada's and Preston's weapons, it may be good to focus on Arika. Positioning herself between Arika and the other part of the battle to make sure the fight stays one-on-one for now, Eva raises her hands, flexes them, and settles them hooked in front of her. "You're proving to be an excellent opponent." Not a hint of dishonesty in her voice, which is vastly different from Sada's swift cynical words.
COMBATSYS: Eva gains composure.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Sada successfully hits Preston with Spite Musashi Art.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Preston
Pushing himself up with the aid of the oar, it seems that Preston is suddenly in for a story time -- and being the patient listener that he is, he does just that; he listens! And by the time the story is done, with Sada crying it out to the heavens, she lashes out!
A man as big as he, on grass as wet as this, has little chance of actually evading. He attempts it, but his feet slip and he makes it precisely no where. The weight coils about his massive right arm, and while it is indeed a painful strike, the boy remains upright -- and that arm refuses to yield.
He draws the chain tight, grunting at the pain that lances up his arm. Even with his mass, and those pythons of his, this still tests his limits. His hand attempts to coil about the chain as well, if he has enough feeling left in the appendage to do so, for surely the flow of blood has been cut.
"So what you're sayin'," he begins, staring the Asian girl down. "Is that your family's little art has mapped me out, huh?" An honest question, but with a definite edge. They very well might.
COMBATSYS: Preston focuses on his next action.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Preston
As the chain wraps around the man's arm, Sada is surprised but not nonplussed. She's had that faint residual sensation of expecting defeat which is just now starting to erode; she is already scheming as to how best to do this same trick to Shingo Yabuki, later.
The smile on her face changes slightly; her cheeks dimple slightly, and she tosses her hair back to get some of the disintegrating ringlets out of her eyes. "Well," she answers, "we can't be sure of all the tricks that a fighter might pull out," which from her tone and the expression on her face, is probably a way of saying 'yes, pretty much'. After this, she lowers her head and /runs/.
She runs towards Preston; when the chain loses slack she hops nimbly over it and aims to slice him in the hip or the side with the blade of the kama on her way past, not stopping afterwards; she skids a little on the rain-wet grass, but the shifting weight on that grasped chain may help to keep Preston off balance!
Eva has Arika's thoughts down precisely. Avoid the weapons because it's much easier to work hand to hand.
For now.
"As are you," Arika offers with a slight smile. Who would have thought that the punk rock princess would be in such an exceptionally -good- mood considering how late she showed up and how harried she was probably looking as she rushed into the 'ring'. Odd, isn't it?
Since Preston has yet to ask for help and he doesn't seem to be -too- bad off, Arika's attention is focused upon the girl before her again. Careful strides are taken along the grass and she attempts to take hold of Eva's wrist and step in front of her so that the girl's arm is over her shoulder. If managing to lock the girl in this position, she leans forward and tries to lift Eva off of the ground and toss her up and over onto her back. A simple over the shoulder arm drag.
COMBATSYS: Eva interrupts Quick Throw from Arika with Cerulean Sweep.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Preston
Eva will certainly admit that her partner in this fight is a little strange. However, she has a bite to go with that bark, and as long as she's doing well with that, Eva will have no room to complain about eccentrities. Besides, isn't *she* the one fighting with a blazer?
... It's really no matter. It's best for Eva to focus on her half of the fight. If she goes down, Sada will have to pick up the slack for both of them. Right now, however, she and Arika are having a rather good time duking it out, despite the other's troubles before coming. The next exchange of blows is rather quick, with pain felt on both sides. Arika manages to get ahold of Eva's wrist despite the latter fighter's caution, but the young girl is quick to turn it in her favor. Letting her feet's grip on the ground go limp before Arika has the ability to lean forward, Eva's right leg is drawn up and wheeled forward into Arika's skin, the foot briefly colored light blue with tendrils of chi before hitting it into Arika's respective shin.
When it connects, assuming Arika's hold on her arm falls slack, Eva falls on her back with an audible grunt, then moves quickly to get on her feet and out of striking distance from the punk rock star.
COMBATSYS: Preston interrupts Medium Strike from Sada with Running Rigging.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Preston
As charming as it is that they've continued to keep to their individual sparring, something's gotta give! But not just yet. With the chain coiled about his arm though, there's really no where for him to go -- particularly not with Sada charging right at him, with that sickle of hers threatening to slash into his body!
No, no; that just won't do.
Taking a tighter grip on the chain, a smirk paints the features of the Brit, whose oar is otherwise barred from use thanks to his arm being caught. Only, that's the problem for Sada -- as he simply YANKS her towards him, straight for his other arm! It's a clothesline of epic proportions, even if that sickle is bound to strike him anyway! In the heat of the moment, he turns somewhat vulgar;
"Do tell me, luv; did your fancy fuckin' arts predict this?!"
Sada's expression is difficult to read because she is abruptly drawn up to hit the enormous man in the arm. The arm strikes her in the head; she staggers even after the slice concludes, grasping tightly onto it. She looks dazed -- but only for a moment, before she shakes her head once.
She can feel aching in that same head. Part of her starts to think: Now he's going to demolish me. Now he's got hold of the chain, and I can't get away from him without abandoning it!
She smiles, then, even though a bruise is already forming visibly on her forehead, as a truth occurs to her. She may be attached to him, but he, too, is attached to /her/.
She answers him with a question: "How good are you close up?" She twists the sickle around in her hand after asking that, concluding with an almost philosophical, "You can't swing your oar - but -"
She concludes by abruptly raising the kama over her head and letting out a hellacious shriek that manages, almost, to be a roar. As if on cue, there is a flash of lightning, the terrible light of electrical wrath shining on the well-polished blade of the scythe!
She jams it down, then, with sudden fury; the roaring boom of thunder echoes just as (she hopes) she digs that blade right into the meat of the Duke's son's chiseled thigh!
After the pain of the light blue energy strikes her shin and forces her back a few feet with a small grunt, Arika is glad to see Eva back away. Another glance toward Preston as she hears that roar and she steps toward Sada as though meaning to make an attack.
But she doesn't want to leave herself open for attack from Eva. Hard pressed for what to do, she sighs. Hands reach up to her temples and she suddenly swings back toward Eva. As she makes a single pass at the girl, she heads out into the audience.
Now why would she be doing that?
Mere seconds pass before the diva can be seen standing on the shoulders of a rather tall man. One who (luckily) isn't bothering to look up the short mini dress she's wearing. Even if he -were- hoping to get a good fanservice shot, it wouldn't be happening. Unlike some female fighters, Arika is intelligent enough to wear shorts under something like this; especially when intending to be doing any kicking.
And a kick is precisely what she's intending. Launching herself off of the mans shoulders, she curls up into a somersault and as she spins out of it she angles her feet toward Eva's chest and tries to force her back onto the ground.
COMBATSYS: Eva dodges Arika's Light Kick.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Preston
The pass is dodged, but Arika proves too quick for Eva to simply attack back. Watching the young woman disengage with some curiosity (though mostly for her next attack), the Italian-American stands alert. Then, seeing Arika make her appearance on the shoulders of a very patient gentleman, Eva looks impressed as her opponent utilizes the audience to her advantage. Looking up at Arika, she says, "You're a singer, right? If I win, will you give me a copy of your newest CD?" After Arika's response (or non response, however that goes) Eva manages to dodge backwards at the right moment as Arika executes her unorthodox tactic, her own skirt flipping back from the acute motion.
Arika's not the only one. Eva wears shorts as well; they're just black like her leggings and skirt.
Now it's Eva's turn to show off something different, even if she's used her blazer before. While she hooks one part of the blazer around her left arm as she dashes forward, the blazer is merely a psyching tactic, a flick of thick cloth in Arika's face as Eva whips her body around like a matador facing a bull. The real danger is presented in the fist she's made with her right hand, circling back around to aim upwards at Arika's chin in an uppercut.
COMBATSYS: Preston Toughs Out Sada's Deep Strike!
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Preston
There's little time for Preston to take note of the fact that his partner is wandering off into the crowd for some body surfing. No, no; he's much too busy, because abruptly he's got the Asian chick up close and rather personal, the chain linking the two together into a close-quarters battle that, perhaps, neither is truly suited for.
"Oh, darlin', you have no idea how good I am up close," he says down at her, going so far as to blow a kiss down at her as he awaits her next action. The chain does indeed bind them, but how long will that last?
It seems that the climactic moment comes as the sickle is lifted high and -- after deafening the tall Brit -- driven down into his thigh. Preston makes no attempt to move, he simply flexes that impressively roped thigh, actually deflecting the blade away from being fully embedded into his flesh! But he wants her stuck on him, that chain around his fist and that sickle driven into his thigh.
What possible escape does she have then? "Now who said I can't swing my oar?" he suddenly asks her through clenched teeth, as scarlet runs down his leg. The pain is exquisite, and he'll exact it back on her hide in the most painful manner he can fashion.
To that extent, the oar abruptly slides in his grip. Rather than clasp it at the extreme end of the shaft, he instead grips it up near the blade; it's all he needs, in truth, and it becomes more of a paddle than a staff. "I don't quite know if you've got a translation for this in your language there, sweetheart, but let me tell it to you plain; you're fucked!"
With such a statement, well, what's a man to do? Action must back his words, and thus he lifts the oar up high, twists it so the edge faces down, and simply crashes it towards Sada's skull!
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Sada with Fierce Strike.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1 Preston
Sada's eyes bug out and get glassy for a moment just as the oar strikes her head. It makes a distinct noise, which has been compared to hitting a tree trunk with a frying pan. She staggers, visibly. It is the sort of blow which has split doors asunder.
The Asai are more durable than an oar. Sada feels the world go gray for her, for a moment, weakness climbing up the fibers of her well-toned muscles. "Nh," she vocalizes, before she grasps her lips in a mental clasp of iron and breathes out, "/Fucked/?"
She looks up towards Preston, her eyes still wide and glassy. She doesn't give the impression of looking at him so much as towards him. "You are saying," she repeats, "that I am fucked?" She then lets out an unhinged cackle, mercifully brief, before shouting, "No!"
She turns around and grasps the hilt of the kama with both hands, running the chain over her shoulder. Her back is turned towards Preston for one fleeting instant of whatever freakish, brain-damaged-induced maneuver she is trying to pull. "No!!" she repeats, "it is you who is fucked!!"
She screams again, then, and takes two abrupt steps forwards. The slack in the chain vanishes. Then Sada pivots, and with every ounce of strength in those muscles trained by slinging around what amounts to a bowling ball on the end of an eight-foot chain for hours a day, she hurls herself forwards, twisting her torso as every muscle pulls in unison!
What she tries - what she hopes - is to flip Preston around, as if instead of a bold scion of the British aristocracy, he was merely two hundred and fifty (or so) pounds of lead weight that had been attached to the ten pounds or so of kusari. Her goal is as simple and inevitable as a physics problem: Slam in him in the dirt or make him /let go/ to avoid it!
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Arika with Sfumato Punch.
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Eva 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Preston
With the kick missing outright, Arika lands in a crouch. As she's coming up and out of it, Eva makes her attack. The blazer becomes an annoyance again but what's worse is the damnable uppercut to her chin. Sending her head snapping backward and causing her to stagger a few feet, she shoots a narrow eyed glare at Eva.
"Preston, mate, you alright over there?" She's really not expecting an answer from him as it looks like things are getting fairly heated. She likely -should- head over to help him out, but it seems as though she's once again squared off one-on-one in a two-on-two match. Works well enough for her, it allows her to focus on things.
No fancy jacket to hide what's coming, Arika simply rushes forward using the slipperiness of the grass beneath her feet to add to her momentum as she rushes toward Eva. As she runs, her head begins to circle in a near violent manner. One circle to the left, two to the right. Another to the left and then she's stopped herself right before Eva, where she slams her head forward in an attempt to smash her forehead against the girl's nose.
COMBATSYS: Eva dodges Arika's Harmonic Headbang.
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Eva 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Preston
Eva takes the glare with calm grace, pacing backwards to further the distance between the two while still managing to keep blocking Arika from getting access to Preston. Oy, after all this, it'll be surprise when Eva meets Preston walking down the hallways of Pacific High! .... They can do lunch. .... That is, if Preston survives this. What in the world is Sada doing over there anyhow? Eva can't look without taking her eyes off Arika. At this stage in the match, that could prove to be a nasty move.
The water dripping down from curls in her hair flick outwards as Eva rears back and to the side away from Arika's headbutt, her fists held in a protective block just in case. She then moves in with her own attack, crossing one foot over the other to bridge the space between them, then hooking the leg closest to Arika and extending it suddenly towards Arika's midsection.
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Sada's Avenging Anegawa.
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Eva 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Preston
Yes, is Preston alright? It's a question he simply does not have the time to answer, not when he finds himself staring down at a girl who's just had the sense knocked right out of her skull! If the maniacal laughter unnerves him, it does not show; he's too stoic, too stiff upper-lip, too British.
If anything he gathers his resolve, and does the only thing he can when that chain goes taut. Part of him can tell just what she's attempting to do -- and he seriously considers the best way to go about it. Leverage may swiftly be on her side, and sheer grit, but can she possibly hope to lift someone as big and as heavy as he? She's no Atlas. The world is not upon her shoulders.
The heave comes, exertion flows out from Sada and -- Preston holds his ground! The initial torque burns his arm, threatening to dislocate even his mighty shoulder from its socket, although a moment later he does the sane thing. He lets the chain go.
Slick though he may be from the rain above, it's still a tremendous amount of pain that runs his body as that chain uncoils from his grip. The metal digs dip, threatening to rend his flesh, if not for the way he helps it unwind by giving his arm a wave in the right direction -- causing the heavy weight on the end of her chain to revolve about his arm, ultimately freeing the weapon -- and separating the two!
What surprise will be in store back at Pacific High will have to wait. For the here and now, there is only a teenage bull, heavy set and full of pain, seeing little but shades of red. He gives a heavy snort from his nostrils, words failing him for the moment as the rain slams down overhead.
Rearing up before her, Preston Alistair Wellington the II becomes akin to a bull in full bellow as he lifts the oar high above his head. Rather than use it though, it seems it only stands to enhance his physique. The silhouette of him is terrifying to the uninitiated, the young adult little more than a towering mass of bulging muscle and obscene power.
It's that power which he, with a roar to make the censorship board blanch, abruptly closes what precious little distance Sada may have. The Asian girl had best turn 'round, for the Brit with the Oar streams towards her like a bull on the hunt, his head thundering down the distance between the two to perform a figurative goring of her minuscule, by comparison, body.
And like the figurative bull that he is, should the gore be complete, he shall shake her free from his proverbial horns with a mighty uppercut, the flat of the oar coming into play as he offers her to the heavens!
COMBATSYS: Sada counters Bull of Barney from Preston with Mount Hiei Reversal.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Eva 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
Sada has not fought a great many live individuals, but she is familiar with certain feelings on that chain. It would be trite to say it's part of her body, but she knows how it works. She can feel the tension release slightly when Preston's hand lets go, and grins to herself as she feels it dig along his skin. She yanks, hard, at the last moment, perhaps to spitefully get a last blow in from the retreating kusari -- but more accurately, to bring the weapon closer to her again.
This means she's facing Preston as he begins his bullish charge. She has a moment to see it coming, and it's not hard to know what to expect. But he would expect her to expect what he's doing -- she suppresses that line of thought. Grandfather always said to take their first jump into consideration but to continue from there without regrets!
She stands completely still as he builds up his speed. She tenses up the muscles in her legs and her arm, ignoring that sick throbbing in her head for now. She watches him come - one step, another step, one more --
She twists, suddenly, to the side, snapping the kama down to carve a streak along his ribs and up towards his back, finishing the spin to face him again in a half-crouch.
"Not a bad charge," she calls, "but you have to hit for it to be worth anything! Unless you just want to run past my blade all day long!?"
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Eva's Medium Kick.
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Eva 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
Finally! It's about time that the slippery ring works in Arika's favor! Making a broad side-step she circles around and in behind Eva with a small smirk. "Not quick enough that time, mate," she states in a neutral tone before sweeping her rain dampened hair back over her shoulders. Had she known prior to the fight that it was going to be so wet out here, she'd have tossed her hair up in a ponytail to keep it from being a nuisance.
Eva is given very little time to respond though, as the punk rock princess makes a valiant attempt to cut off the other girl's breathing momentarily. From behind Eva, Arika's right arm shoots quickly out and tries to wrap itself around her throat. While locking the American girl up in the stranglehold is the goal it's not about to stop there if successful. Continued pressure will be applied, almost crushing in at Eva's throat while an attempt is made to lean them both backward while a knee juts out into the small of her back keeping a very steady and even pressure.
COMBATSYS: Sada has saved the state of this fight.
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Eva 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Eva blocks Arika's Diva Attaca.
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Eva 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
Eva's already turning as her own attack misses, causing Arika's hand to clamp around her neck at a different angle than she possibly originally intended. Still, the action holds true, those fingers clamping down on Eva's throat with increasing intensity as the Italian-American's right side faces Arika.
However, this does mean that Eva uses her legs to her advantage as much as she can, her right leg hooking back and then outward, touching and testing itself against Arika before applying the pressure needed to pry the punk rock star off her. A kick might have been used, but Eva can't effectively see Arika, making her move more about getting the girl away rather than counterattack with something else.
Leg muscles that were before hidden underneath the black color of her padded legs begin to visibly bulge outward as Eva pushes, disappearing when the move is aborted. Coughing violently as she stumbles away out of harm's way for the moment, Eva takes a while to gain back her composure, holding a hand to her throat and bending down until her breathing goes back to normal. When that is over, she straightens, shifting back into a confident fighting stance. She had to sacrifice her position between Arika and Preston, however, not being able to watch both her from *and* her back while in this coughing state.
COMBATSYS: Eva gains composure.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
For his part, it seems the rushing bull is caught up short as Sada proves the quicker; that sickle of hers digs into his side, and he stumbles onwards, feet sliding on the grass. His charge is halted as simply as that, all of that effort, exertion and sweat for nothing.
Breathing hard, the teen has no words for the Asian right now, even as she mocks him. From the superior position, she indeed has the right to, but the words sound foul in his ears and leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew it was a mistake to accept this fight, in this location; they're all practically from Southtown anyway, from the sound of it.
But returning to England so soon was a mistake. In secret exile, the son of a Duke of England has his reasons for being so far from home. And here he is, back on home soil, and he looks the fool on worldwide television.
What blood that seeps from his side is swiftly washed away by the driving rain overhead. Preston stands there for the longest of moments, his back to Sada, the oar hanging useless at his side. A glance is spared towards the ongoing tussle between the two energetic girls to the side. They've done good to keep clear of the battle between the two weapon wielders.
Looking over his shoulder at the Asian, the Brit finds his rogue-like grin. "You're pretty fast. Too fast for me today, sunshine. What's your name again?"
A sign of the times, how polite the vulgar Brit has become, for he has been somewhat humbled by the little girl he crossed blades with. Lifting the oar once more though, he refuses to submit -- he will no doubt be done soon enough! But for the here and now, he twists neatly, pivoting on one heel as he stomps the other foot down. But he's taken a moment, not unlike Sada's own partner.
COMBATSYS: Preston gains composure.
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Eva 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Sada 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Preston
It is said that the true key to success is magnamity in victory and defiance in defeat. Sada doesn't know this saying, but she may have learned the concept, somewhere along the line. She twists up the kusari and rolls it over her shoulder, saying in response to Preston's question, "Sada Asai. From Kyoto. My style is Asai variant kusarigamajutsu," ah, foriegn word glop, "what's yours called?"
She steps forwards, shuffling her feet a little on the slippery grass. For a moment, she almost slips, looking briefly dazed - but it passes, and she raises the kusari-weighted length of chain over her head, spinning it once, twice - and then letting it decline again. She continues, "That was a hell of a strike... I suppose I'm just tougher than Kojiro was."
She takes another of those shuffling steps, first to the left, then the right - before abruptly twisting her entire body around with an advancing step. She doesn't try to spin up the kusari for added force, instead aiming simply to wrap it tautly around Preston's lower legs and yank them out from beneath the man-mountain!
Now the question is, does the punk rock princess ease up on Eva and let her catch her breath, or head over and assist Preston? Since every time the girl she's against catches her breath she's coming back stronger than ever, Arika really can't chance assisting her partner just yet. Even though things aren't looking all that well for either of them.
Closing the distance between them once more, the diva leaps and arcs her leg up and forward. As the arcing motion is stopped, the foot is brought down in an axe-like motion to Eva's shoulder.
Unlike the other two, it doesn't seem like she's very verbose at the moment, just trying to keep her attention on the fight.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Eva with Heavy Kick.
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Eva 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Preston
Well, whatever composure Eva managed to gain, the heavy kick soundly beats it out of her and then some. Stumbling away as she grasps her shoulder instinctively, Eva quietly abandons any notion to simply chat to instead focus on the fight entirely. With the other half of the fight beginning to talk to each other on somewhat more friendlier terms, it may seem to the crowd that the tables have switched entirely. .... Okay, maybe not. Arika and Eva aren't talking about ancestors or letting their anger grab ahold of them to up their advantage.
After noticing that Arika hasn't used this moment to gain up on Sada, Eva doesn't try to regain her previous position. Instead, she seeks to engage Arika's attention head on with one of her more hard-hitting attacks to the best of her ability, giving this move everything that's available at the moment. As Eva raises her right leg and hooks it in front of her, her foot becomes laced with blue chi. Sweeping over on the other foot towards Arika with as much speed as she can muster, the Italian-American shoots the foot out three times, starting with the leg, then the midsection, and finally the chin.
COMBATSYS: Preston interrupts Strong Throw from Sada with Queen's Regulations.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Sada 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Preston
"No real name," Preston responds, the talk of their arts taking over. It's a moment's civility, in a battle for the fans and the prize money. "We call it the Ancient Maritime Arts though. I'm sure there's a joke to be said about me using an oar in that, but I'm the first in the family to. I'll grant you this though; your weapon's best suited against mine. Your speed is to your advantage.
"But sometimes, you leave yourself open!" It's said as the weight is flung to wrap about his legs and attempt to take his balance from him. On the wet grass, it's likely to be easy--but he steps forward instead, the weight only encircling the one leg. Even as she hefts on the chain, all it does is slide him towards her, even as the muscles within that mammoth leg are wrenched rather painfully.
This has been one hell of a battle. One hell of a fight. His mountain of muscles is in pain, but even still he pushes his body on past the point of breaking. Having declared such a line, he has no choice but to attack -- and attack he does, swinging the oar out in broad, elegant strokes. One arcing for her head, followed swiftly by a darting spear to her middle -- and then the climax, the sweep for her feet, to send her to the grassy floor if she's that unlucky!
"You're tough, but this isn't over quite yet, luv!"
Sada does have enough sense to get her head out of the way of that blow. That means, however, that there are two other strokes; one hits her in the gut and gets out a groaning evocative 'guhh!!' and the other does much as expected and sweeps her feet out from beneath her, sending her sprawling with a wet slap onto the cool green field.
She lays there for a moment, fingers loosening around the kama's hilt. Then they tighten, and she raises the blade, stabbing into England's land with the blade as she rises to her feet again. Her hair is hanging halfway in her face, her hairstyle adequately ruined by now. She shakes, a little; the faint tremor in her shoulders is stilled largely by raw will. "Yare yare dawa," she says, which likely makes no sense to Preston.
Then, suddenly, she twists her body around again, sending the chain on a vicious wrapping trajectory towards Preston - she waits for that tension of the kusari wrapping around something or what her battered body TELLS her is that tension before turning around, suddenly, and letting out a much more feral cry.
She yanks again, then, trying to pull the massive man down; the force is enough to practically send HER to the ground. She might be able to send someone daintier flying with this move; it is only Preston's sheer meaty mass that will prevent him from taking a trip via Japan Airlines! /Maybe/.
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Arika with Red Piston.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Preston
Losing her footing on the grass, just enough that she can't regain it, Arika takes the full brunt of Eva's energy boosted kicking. It's the foot to the chin that gets her the most and sends her flying across the 'ring' momentarily sliding along the grass. Good thing the dress isn't wholly white, or she'd have a lot of explaining to do when getting it dry-cleaned.
Staggering back up to her feet, she shoots a look over at Preston and Sada and then closes her eyes. Well, it's pretty much now or never and her vanity kicks in. Irritation at being hit in the jaw has her moving at a much more alarming speed than normal and it's back across the grass once more until she can slip in behind Eva. From there she reaches an arm around the girl's neck and attempts to lock her up in a half-nelson hold.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Eva with Punk Rock Breakdown.
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Eva 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Arika
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Sada 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Preston
Once positive that she's got the girl locked up nice and tight, she begins to hoist Eva off of her feet. As she continues to lift the girl up, she begins to spin so that the cameras can catch this from every angle. Though the grass is wet and slippery and she's got to be careful with her footing, the speed of the spinning increases with each turn until the two females are pretty much nothing more than a blur.
Lifting Eva again until she reaches the apex of the attack, Arika stops the spinning in a very abrupt manner. As soon as she stops, Eva is literally just shoved down as roughly as humanly possible, the full weight of the diva's body forcing her down upon the base of her head and the top portion of her back.
With that being done, she begins to circle her 'prey' again looking for an opportune moment to leap in with an elbow slam or perhaps pin her.
Eva isn't so lucky. She's wearing a white shirt. However, that whole factor is something she's just gotten used to by now, as the other was stained beyond repair by blood by Marise.
The last attack makes it difficult for Eva to respond to Arika's reply, making it easy for her to grasp the dark-haired girl in a swift combo of body and air. Eva is suddenly reminded of Drake during all this, even if his attack was very different from Arika's. The motion sickness is the same, however.
The execution goes without fail, with the back of Eva's head and shoulders being rudely introduced to a cold, hard floor. There's another bad stain right there on Eva's shirt, but by now, the blouse is pretty much a lost cause anyway.
Groggily rolling away and stumbling back onto her feet while Arika looks for a good opening, Eva still manages to keep a disturbing level of calm on her face as she faces down the last part of the fight. Will she lose? It's possible, now that she finds her body's aches and pains gaining upon her. Arika's proving to be a *very* good opponent, and she may outlast Eva in this match if Eva's body continues to weaken so. For now, the American goes with more 'basic' moves, suddenly pushing over to face the Britian. Within the space of a hop in the air towards Arika, she draws her right foot back slightly and then punches it forward, aiming it towards Arika's midsection with as much concentration as she can muster at this time.
COMBATSYS: Sada successfully hits Preston with Avenging Anegawa.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Sada 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Preston
Striking true on two of his three strikes, Preston finds himself near his limit; he's over-exerted himself, and it's about time for him to pay the proverbial piper. This time thoiugh, amidst all the gibberish that the Asian is speaking to herself, the Brit with the Oar finds himself seeing double.
So while he does attempt the impossible, to leap out of the way of that chain with its dangling weight, there's little he can do about it in the end. It proves faster than he does, and coils about his middle. He looks down, and barely has time to grunt, as the heavy drag of Sada sends him lurching towards her.
But if there's one thing that the Brit has going for him, it's that it's practically impossible to actually knock him down. In this case though, he does lose his footing as, impossibly, Sada lifts him from his feet!
All of a foot, of course. His weight is simply too much -- but the damage comes from the way the chain digs into his middle painfully, the links cutting deep into his flesh despite the tone he sports. Come tomorrow, he will be bruised and battered. Right now, he simply bleeds.
Going with the movement though, he closes what little distance he has with Sada -- almost threatening to fall on her, in truth! Instead though, he whips the oar out, aiming for the broadest part of her as he otherwise falls to his knees and slides past.
Either way, the youth is done and dusted; his participation in this battle is over, and he'll slink his way to the sidelines given the chance.
COMBATSYS: Preston can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Sada dodges Preston's Weapon Jab.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
Sada would like to pretend that what she did was in fact a shining example of her reflexes and her martial arts acumen coming to an apogee as Preston's final attack swoops towards her. This is what she may claim, later. For now, however, the oar whishes over her hair, disrupting her hairstyle, for a simple reason.
She fell down.
Again.
When she pushes herself back up from the impromptu spill, she looks over towards where Preston is moving out of the ring, trying, briefly, to suppress her grin. He's given up! she thinks, exulting in the feeling briefly. Then grayness washes over her vision for a moment, and she remembers to take in a deep breath and let it out. Even if it does hurt.
Her head turns, then, towards the side of Arika, who seems to be wary. On her guard. Sada's grin comes back with the same sort of sharklike width, as she hoists up the kusari and spins it casually up and over her shoulder, walking carefully on the slippery ground as she approaches.
COMBATSYS: Sada focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Eva's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
Basic moves are all fine and dandy, but they tend to be something that Arika likes to -think- she knows well. In this case, the simple kick slamming in toward her is indeed something simple and she's able to cross her arms over her midsection to block the full force of the foot from winding her.
Watching Preston fall as she does this, she grimaces. Odds are -not- in her favor now, and two on one is something she's not looking forward to. So what are her chances? Attempt to take out the girl she's been fighting the entire match, or knock Sada on her behind and hope for the best?
It's a tough decision.
Since she's already closer to Eva, she decides to continue on with her while trying to keep an eye out for what Sada's about to be up to. Sliding along the grass, her right hand shoots out toward Eva's face in a swift jab. Like the one-two punch she pulled earlier, her left hand slams in with a palmheel strike to the area just above the girl's chest. She's not about mixing it up at all, she likes to keep her moves clean and as simple as possible. The left hand glows with a bright violet energy just before it's set to strike, hopefully giving it just a little more 'oomph'.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Eva with Diva Allegro.
[ \\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
For now, it seems that Arika chose correctly. With Eva's remaining strength and concentration behind that last kick, she is easy prey for Arika's responding attack, each brutul push of palm managing to pound in that last nail for Eva.
Clutching her chest as her boots skid across the pavement, Eva realizes that the fight has been won. She can either fight on for one last second, or let her body gracefully collapse. However, with Sada being left alone as a consequence, Eva decides to try one last move before leaving.
But not before having a word. "Sada.... godspeed." Eva flashes a small, but earnest smile at the girl who has been her partner for this fight. With that, she grabs her blazer, and settles her remaining bit of energy into her last contribution to the match. It's a move she's done before, and, since it's the one that comes easiest to her, she'll let it be her defining moment. Grabbing ahold of either side of her blazer, she rushes at Arika, attempting to loop it around the punk rocker's head at the most opportune moment, yanking Arika towards her and then pushing her back with a kick that has as much force as the girl can muster at this moment in time.
COMBATSYS: Eva has reached second wind!
[ \\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
Sada's eyes track briefly towards Eva - and grins at her. A distant flash of lightning illuminates the near-black irises of her eyes; fortunately, the thunder doesn't roll right away. Perhaps the storm is passing.
"Hi again~" she calls to Arika; her next motion is simple and quick. She twists the kusari around twice and then hurls it with the underhand motion she had used previously, aiming to wrap Arika's leg in the blood-spattered chain! She aims higher on Arika - trying to get the thigh, perhaps in the expectation that she's going to only get the calf.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Eva's Black Hook.
[ \\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Sada's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\ < > /////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
Just as she thought, two on one? Not so much a fun thing. Arika slips right away from the blazer this time, which is to her benefit as she's able to spy Sada coming in. The blood-spattered chain doesn't wrap around her leg so much as it slices into it while she tries to keep it away from her. A line of blood begins to well up on her thigh and she winces.
Once again, she's faced with a choice. To press on -again- or to try and catch her breath. With Preston down, and feeling as though she's pretty much done for now that the other team has the upper hand, and Eva's sprung right back up (hrm... now -where- has she seen -that- before?) she glances between her two foes.
All of this is thought as she acts once more, a fairly simplistic uppercut sent toward Eva's chin hoping to get her down again before turning to keep an eye on Sada and that chain. The poor punk rock princess is pretty much backed into a corner at this point.
COMBATSYS: Eva dodges Arika's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\ < > /////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
The attack misses, with Eva being much more drained than Arika. Stopping and collapsing to one knee, a giddy sort of rush runs through her system as the noisy crowd dims. All that is in this world, right now, is her, and her opponent. And her partner. Standing slowly, her bright blue eyes taking on a sort of strange clarity, she turns around-
-and dodges Arika's quick punch by jerking to the side. It really isn't a matter of strange ancient powers or techniques or whatever. Eva stands because her dad was damn good at making her know what it meant to withstand pain. It was the only condition he'd set for her before she could go; after all, she was his little girl, and it would break his heart to hear or see her crumble like a pale flower underneath someone's foot. It's better to think and act like a weed.
Eva steps back to a safe distance, her mouth is a thin line as she faces Sada and Arika. Two on one. Granted, she was worried about leaving Sada alone, but... now that it's two against one, the problem she had before has been replaced by a new one. Thus, she whispers a small prayer underneath her panting breath to a god she had inadvertantly drifted away from. "Let everyone go from this fight with something greater gained for their effort...." It's the first time she's prayed in a fight, thought it's not because the situation is dire. It's more just a persistant guilt gnawing at her that could only be alleviated with at least a prayer for the best. The ending word, an unmistakeable 'amen', is held with an even lower and softer pitch, as she's already aiming to make her next move. Dashing at Arika, she aims a gloved fist in a quick jab at Arika's cheek, exherting only a minimal amount of force to allow her own body to continue recovering.
Sada is a much less sweet girl than Eva. Perhaps in the end they will balance each other out; for now, Sada is content to hang back, just for the moment, and let Eva move. She breathes in and out as she does so, but doesn't try to dispel the tension in her body. That would be, as they say, missing the point.
"Heh," she vocalizes, before spinning the kusari around and slinging it on a much tauter length of chain, aiming to slam it into the diva's back instead of giving her a more complex - and perhaps easier to avoid - opportunity to dodge. "Fighting out of doors is fun, isn't it?!"
That may have made more sense in her head, when it was in Japanese; then again, perhaps not.
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Arika with Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\ < > ////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Sada successfully hits Arika with Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\ < > /// ]
Eva 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Arika
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Sada 0/-------/------=|
The diva cannot be certain what irritates her more. The fact that both of these girls are smugly talking to her during the middle of the fight, or the fact that because of the angles they're coming in at she can't really get out of the way of either attack. When the gloved fist hits her cheek she's got little time to react to it beyond an extremely nasty glare to the girl.
Then Sada has to go and speak, and Arika takes it for what it is. Mocking. Even so, Sada is ignored after the weapon strikes her on the back and leaves a nice gash in the dress. A thin trickle of blood is caught when the lights from the cameras swing in the direction of the fallen singer.
But she's not done yet.
Wearily, she gets to her feet. Those narrowed eyes she offered to Eva before become mere slits. Part of her knows that the girl means well with that prayer, but it's not fully registering just yet. She's still very much in fight mentality. Though her movements are somewhat slow and it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep her footing on the slick grass she edges ever closer to Eva. Swinging her body around in a somewhat sloppy pirouette, her right leg is drawn up in a vertical manner, rotated to the side and then snapped directly at Eva's face.
Regardless of whether she hits the girl or not, the final momentum from that kick sends her down onto her knees in the grass, one hand clutching her stomach as she makes a very valiant attempt to catch her breath.
COMBATSYS: Arika can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Sada 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Eva
COMBATSYS: Eva blocks Arika's Rhythmic Roundhouse.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Sada 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Eva
It really wasn't smugness with Eva, even if she doesn't discourage people from getting annoyed by her politeness in battle, as many do. Nor does she mind them responding in kind, as some have also. As Arika valiantly tries to end her part of the fight with a final blow, her foot thuds painfully against Eva's arms, which are raised protectively in front of her face. A bruise will definitely appear later from that move, as it *hurt*.
The fight has ended. Somewhere, in an apartment building in Chicago, a little old woman files a noise complaint over the phone against her upstair neighbors, one of whom is shouting way too noisely to be decent.
"... If you sing with the same determination that you fight with, I'll definitely have to buy your latest CD myself," Eva then says, no cynicism leaking into her voice as she walks over to Arika. "You deserve that from me." Leaning in closer, she murmurs to the punk rocker, "If you ever want a rematch, let me know. A fair one." While Eva's glad to win her first fight, the fight became slanted against Arika the moment Preston was beaten. If Sada wasn't there, Eva reasons, things would have been entirely different.
As for that CD? Punk rock really isn't Eva, but actually meeting the person who sang the lyrics would put a different spin.
Sada spins the kusari around her head, once, lookign down at the kneeling Arika --
And then lets it fall to her side. She slides the chain up and over her shoulders, tugging the kama to draw the weight up and saying in a slightly shaky voice, "Pretty good, wasn't it? You did help me improve."
She steps over to Arika, and adds, "Now we're even," before leaning slightly over and proffering a hand. (One not filled with deadly sharp or blunt objects.) She's still grinning as she does it, but perhaps that's just how her face goes.
Deep blue eyes glance up at Eva and she simply nods. It was a good fight against the girl, but with her two fights immediately preceding this, there's a chance she wasn't fighting at her very best. And there's only -one- person to blame for that besides herself of course, and he's likely to get an earful when she gets back to Southtown.
The hand from Sada is simply brushed away as Arika pushes herself shakily to her feet. "Even? -EVEN-? Listen, mate, I figured we were -even- when your bloody boyfriend nearly destroyed my career. Maybe one'a these days, you'll be able to fight on your own without someone backin' you up. You 'it that day, you call me and then we'll discuss -even-."
Careful but slow footsteps carry her over to a pair of medics while two more head toward Preston to ensure his injuries are taken care of, leaving the two winners to claim their victory while the cameras continue to roll.
Log created on 19:00:41 05/25/2007 by Arika, and last modified on 21:46:35 05/31/2007.